Presently commercially available instant hot water heaters employ a separate faucet or spout to dispense 190.degree. F or 200.degree. F water from a small electrically heated hot water tank under the sink. The spout is typically mounted on the conventional sink which also includes the usual faucet for dispensing water from the building plumbing system. The instant hot water spout operates independantly of the usual faucet. There can be a danger of burns to the user caused by either inadvertent contact with the instant hot water spout or contact with the discharged hot water. Conventional hot water systems used in some nursing homes and hospitals require a separate and costly scald guard or pressure balancing valve to prevent scalding. A standard hot/cold system also requires two input lines to the faucet in order to obtain both hot and cold water at the sink or receptacle. Since the hot water tank is located in a remote area, considerable expense is involved to bring piping to each sanitary location. The remoteness of the hot water tank also causes a long wait for hot water when the faucet is turned on. This occurs due to the fact that water left in the pipe cools and the hot water leaving the tank must travel a long distance to the faucet. It loses much of its initial heat content thru heat loss to the pipe as it travels through. This is also a large energy waste in any conventional system in both water wasted while the pipes heat up and in the energy required to heat the water.
A conventional hot water system generally heats water to 140.degree. F. This temperature is much too hot to use directly as it will cause burns and therefore must be manually mixed in the faucet, with the cold water, to provide a warm water mix. This also wastes water and energy. The presence of 140.degree. F. plus water at the faucet is also a definite hazard in that it can cause scalding and sudden reactions, especially in older people. This sudden reaction has resulted in numerous injuries in the past.